Explained: What is DEG, industrial poison is being linked to the death of a child with MP and cough syrup in Rajasthan

Recent deaths of more than a dozen children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are allegedly associated with dyethylene glycol, or DEG, have once again brought this industrial toxin under intensive examination – exposing deep cracks in India’s drug quality control.

What is Deg?

It is an industrial solvent-colorless, odorless and misleading sweet tasting. It is used in brake liquids, paints and lubricants, and is only safe in controlled industrial use. But if it contaminates other consumable materials, for example-drug-grade materials, even in trace, it becomes fatal-damage to the liver, liver and nervous system.

The body weight can be less fatal as 1 mL per kilogram. In the case of adults, 50 to 100 mL can cause death, and for children, even one spoon can be fatal.

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The mortality rate ranges from 30% to 100%, it depends on how quickly treatment begins.

While propaline glycols are safe and widely used in drugs, cosmetics and food, ethylene glycols and diathylene glycol are industrial-grade chemicals and are fatal when consumed. Experts stated that as they look equally in manufacturing, taste, and DEG can slip if the source material is adulterated – and as a result of this over -scale poisoning around the world, the experts said.

Experts throw light on the fact that replacement is often caused by cost cut, poor supplier inspection and lux test, especially among small manufacturers. A Stark Example – In Indonesia, the cough syrup created by AFI Pharma in 2022 included 96–99% ethylene glycol. The company did not test its input and trusted a fully supplier certificate. As a result, many children died.

This is not the first such tragedy. In 2020, 12 children died in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2022, at least 66 in Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan.

And now, the latest deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are allegedly associated with contaminated syrup.

Experts warned that until India tightens the raw material testing, ensures the detective supply chain, and strict regulatory enforces vigilance, will slip through toxic chemicals such as DEGs, converting life -saving drugs into fatal poison.